Scania Singapore announced that it has commenced sales for its battery electric trucks from 6 April 2022. It also announced the signing of a sales agreement today with its first customer, ALBA W&H Smart City, for 15 battery electric trucks, the first European-branded battery electric trucks in Singapore.

The L230B6X2*4NB trucks will be delivered in two batches. With the initial batch, which is already in production planning, Scania will homologate its battery electric trucks and the respective charging infrastructure in Singapore, while the second batch will demonstrate Scania’s ability to rolled out the vehicles on a fleet level.

In launching battery electric trucks, Scania aims to contribute to Singapore’s goal for all vehicles to run on cleaner energy by 2040 as well as Scania’s science-based targets for a 20% reduction in Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions generated through customers’ usage of its products.

“We are very pleased to welcome ALBA W&H Smart City as our pioneering partner towards more sustainable transportation in Singapore,” says Anders Liss, Country Manager of Scania Singapore. “It’s a significant leap forward in showcasing carbon-neutral transportation at a time when more organisations are coming on board to address the global climate crisis. ALBA together with Scania in a sustainable partnership is now part of the SG Green Plan 2030 journey towards net-zero emissions.”

“Being a city state, Singapore is the logical choice for us to establish our first fleet of fully electric vehicles,” said Sashi Kumar, General Manager of Solid Waste from ALBA W&H Smart City. “However, at the same time it is a highly competitive and demanding market with the highest service level expected worldwide, including daily collections and up to 12-hour shifts of continuous operation.”

Mr Kumar added: “We have monitored the market for electric vehicles for several years now and are happy that with Scania’s battery electric trucks, we finally found an electrified chassis that is ready for our daily grind of waste collection in the clean and green city of Singapore.”

The battery electric trucks can operate at close to zero emissions when using cleaner sources of electricity supplemented with the purchase of renewable energy certificates.

Each truck operates as a permanent magnet electric machine with oil spray cooling, with peak propulsion of about 295kW, 2,200 Nm and continuous propulsion of about 230 kW, 1300 Nm. With up to 250 km range on a single charge, it can cover short and medium distances on electric power.

Nine lithium-ion batteries, with an installed capacity of 297 kW, are backed by up to eight years of warranty. Direct current charging is carried out by the European-standard CCS type 2 plug-in connection at up to 130 kW/ 200 A.

In Singapore, customers can choose from the P-cab or L-cab series and 4x2, 6x2 or 6x2*4 wheel configurations with a maximum gross trailer weight of 28 tonnes. The battery electric trucks are suitable for urban operations such as distribution, waste collection, hook lifts, tippers and concrete mixers.

Mr Liss added: “An investment in a battery electric truck improves operators’ branding and market competitiveness as responsible organisations. They are addressing their own climate goals as well as the climate goals of their customers and society.”

Scania’s battery electric trucks are sold as a total solution with charging infrastructure, vehicle optimisation customised to the customer’s operations, repair and maintenance services and the option for financing and insurance services.

ALBA W&H Smart City is a joint venture between Berlin-based ALBA Group, one of the leading recycling and environmental services companies as well as raw material providers worldwide, and Wah & Hua, a leading Singapore waste management provider. In Singapore, the company is the NEA appointed Public Waste Collector for Jurong and Woodlands-Yishun sectors, where ALBA has established itself to be a leader in the space with their innovative suite of sustainability, digitalisation, and productivity solutions.

Scania’s Ecolution is aligned with their ambition to be the most sustainable provider of transport solutions. As the term suggests, these solutions go beyond the production and delivery of a sophisticated vehicle. The augmented product offering is comprised of the hardware and increasingly the software around it.

To recap, Ecolution is Scania’s way of addressing issues around climate change. Since its introduction to the Malaysian market, many transport companies have taken up the offer that comes as a supplement to the vehicle. Those having subscribed are easily recognisable by the prominent sticker that is adorning the vehicle. As this is more than just an ornament, we take a closer look at what this means, especially the aspect of the driver being the driving force behind the success of any operator.

Scania’s Manifesto
When calculating the climate impact from Scania, the Green House Gas Protocol is used. The GHG Protocol is the most commonly used global standard to measure and manage greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from business operations, value chains and mitigation action.

The GHG protocol takes several greenhouse gases into account, not only carbon dioxide (CO2) but also methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFC), perfluorocarbons (PFC) and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6).

The protocol divides a company’s emissions into scopes where direct carbon emissions from our own operations such as burning of fossil fuels for heating, engine testing and company vehicles are Scope 1 and indirect emissions generated by purchased electricity, heat and steam are Scope 2.

Scope 3 are our indirect value chain emissions. These include all emissions generated from the production of parts and components in the supply chain to the use of our products and all the way to end of life.

Their Science Based Targets cover all our Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions as well as the emissions from when our products are being used (Scope 3). The latter category alone stands for more than 96 percent of our total emissions.

Enhancing Driver’s Skills
On the back of Scania’s proprietary Fleet Management System (FMS) a lot of things happen. The data collected is used to pinpoint areas in the operation where significant improvements can be achieved by adjusting the way the operation is run. This directly benefits the fleet owner as the bottom line will be improved. It also allows for the analysis of the drivers’ behaviour.

Using the telematics data, the driving behaviour of bus captains is evaluated and with specific training improved. Through this, the drivers will be made aware of their driving behaviour and how they can improve it. Coaching the drivers, significant reductions in CO2 emissions and wear and tear can be achieved. The latter may not seem obvious, but any part of a vehicle that can be used longer and more effective is a part that does not need to be replaced pre-maturely. The optimisation of parts usage is another contribution to Scania’s Science Based Targets.

Searching for the Champion
This year, Scania is looking for “A Good Driver” that makes a significant contribution to the reduction of emissions. With over MYR25 000 worth of prizes and earn a badge of honour the competition is heating up for those that drive with a cool head. As an Ecolution partner with Scania, participating companies and the driving skills of the bus captain become parts of the journey towards achieving Scania’s Science Based Target of reducing CO2 emissions. Scania encourages drivers to drive for 'A Good Company.' The motto is simple: Reduce fuel consumption, reduce carbon emissions. Be 'A Good Driver.’

Besides some other terms and conditions, the good company needs to be a Scania Ecolution partner during the duration of the competition. Drivers that drive one of the Scania Ecolution vehicles during the duration of the competition - 1 December 2021 to 30 November 2022 – are eligible for entry. The vehicles have Scania Ecolution stickers and are part of the partnership. Those drivers participating can be identified by the Ecolution t-shirt with 'A Good Driver’ Qualifier Badge.

To win, the driving must result in the best percentage of km/l improvement throughout the duration. Using Scania Fleet Management System, the vehicle with the best percentage of km/l improvement in Malaysia will be identified at the end of the duration. In addition, drivers will also be required to submit a slogan of not more than 25 words: "I like working for my company because… “

Beyond Fuel Consumption
Being “A Good Driver” may even go beyond the conservation of the environment and driving safely. During the SuperNiceTour2022, a group of travellers could experience bus travel in Malaysia like never before. With a focus on how things are all coming together, it became clear: a good bus driver is more than just a driver. S/he is a tour guide, someone that plans the most sensible route and takes care of a great number of things besides the vehicle.